A Quarter of U.S. Dogs and Cats Are Overweight

When people fled Fukushima and other parts of Japan a year ago, thousands of pets were left behind. While many pets have since been reunited with their owners, a horrific situation still exists in the no-go 12.5-mile radiation zone around the damaged nuclear plants.
There, homeless dogs and cats are still wandering around the area, according to World Vets founder and CEO Cathy King. She told Discovery News that "a lot of these animals have since been rescued out, but some remain."
The problem demonstrates how difficult recovery has been after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck off the northeast coast of Japan on March 11, 2011.
The resulting tsunami and nuclear woes devastated the area. Animal support teams from all over the world descended upon the region and are still trying to improve the situation.

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As animal rescuers from around the world made preparations the week of March 11 , 2011, local pet groups took immediate action.
United Kennel Club Japan director Yasunori Hoso shared that "we left our headquarters in Kyoto, and built a shelter in Kanagawa prefecture. Since then, we have rescued over 800 pets from the tsunami-stricken areas of Miyagi and Fukushima Prefectures in the Tohoku area."
Many regions throughout Japan were affected by the quake, which actually moved Honshu 8 feet and shifted the Earth on its axis anywhere from 4 to 10 inches.
In this photo, World Vets veterinarian Kazumasu Sasaki examines a dog in Sendai.
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"We have rescued over 700 animals, but an estimated 400 are still in our shelter unable to reconcile with their owners." Chako Ki of the United Kennel Club told Discovery News.
The time and energy required for this effort is enormous. Many veterinarians are performing all kinds of care without pay.
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"Thousands of people were living in evacuation shelters where pets were not allowed," King explained. "People would not leave dangerous situations because of their pets."
King said her team and others provided these animals with basic supplies and needs.
"In other areas, we had veterinarians who were helping to decontaminate pets that had come from the areas of high radiation," she said. "There was also the issue of many Americans living in Japan who were making emergency evacuations due to the radiation and were not able to get their pets on outgoing flights."
Photo: Sasaki is shown unloading rescued dogs in Japan, a country where dogs and cats are often highly regarded.
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Many pets lived in cars outside of the evacuation shelters that did not allow animals. That predicament has since improved, as people moved out of the shelters, Hoso said.
Pets were also left behind after their owners evacuated from an evacuation zone within the 12.5-mile radius from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear reactors.
"Three hundred and fifty dogs and cats in our shelter are aging, sick, or untamed, making them difficult to be adopted," Hoso said.

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Rescuers had to coordinate quickly, working with all available help.
"Now, almost a year later, there are new animal issues evolving," King said. "Overpopulation of dogs and especially cats has become an issue with the numbers of street animals increasing. In addition, people who were once able to care for their pets are struggling because of hardships caused by the disaster."
She said that there was a free spay/neuter clinic held in one of the hardest hit areas of Iwate Prefecture. Requests for veterinary products to help affected animals are also still pouring in.
Photo: A cat sits on a sofa at a damaged store.
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Pet rescuers, such as this World Vets veterinarian holding a saved dog, are proud of their work, but much is left to be done.
Of the pets still in shelters after the quake and tsunami, Hoso said, "They have a warm home and their stomachs are full in our shelter. However, there are still many pets abandoned."
"Despite this, we are running out of space and need to create another shelter soon in order to save these animals," Hoso said.
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Do you own a portly pooch or a corpulent kitty? Unfortunately, the answer in the United States is all too likely to be yes.

Nearly one in every four dogs and cats in the United States is overweight or obese, according to recent numbers tallied by the Banfield Pet Hospital. The problem is so pervasive that the Association for Pet Obesity has declared today (Oct. 9) National Pet Obesity Awareness Day.

Some cats are sending parasites into your brain that control your mind and make you crazy.

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Banfield collects nationwide data on pet health through its 800 animal hospitals spread over 43 states. According to their veterinarian's observations, American pets have a fat problem. Overweight dogs have become 37 percent more prevalent compared with five years ago. For cats, the number is a stunning 90 percent. (Heavy Hounds: A Gallery of Portly Pooches)

Despite the dire numbers, 76 percent of dog owners and 69 percent of cat owners think Fido and Fluffy are just fine the way they are. That’s a problem, according to veterinarians, because extra weight means a higher risk of arthritis, heart disease and respiratory problems ­­­— just as in humans.

In fact, another Banfield report showed that between 2006 and 2010, doggie diabetes rose 32 percent from 12.2 cases per 10,000 to 17.4 cases per 10,000. Cat diabetes, which is strongly linked to obesity, rose 16 percent, from 55.5 cases per 10,000 to 64.3 cases per 10,000 in that same time period.

As of 2012, Minnesota was home to the highest prevalence of overweight dogs, followed by Utah, Nebraska, Nevada and Iowa. Minnesota also beat out the rest of the country for overweight cats, followed by Nebraska, then Iowa, Utah and Oklahoma.

A dog or cat at the proper weight should have an obvious waist, with ribs that are easily felt but not seen, according to Banfield. An overweight or obese pet will have too much padding over the ribs for them to be easily felt, an undefined waist, and obvious belly fat. Trouble breathing when active is another sign your pet may be overweight.

Since the upsurge in pet obesity seems to have similar roots to weight gain in humans, some pet weight-loss methods, such as interactive weight-monitoring tools and exercise equipment, have been modeled after humans weight-loss programs.